Noodles and Rice

Ube Pastillas

by Stef on March 12th, 2007

The packages say “all-natural”, but I’ve been eyeing them with suspicion ever since they were given by a well-meaning friend. I just don’t trust colorful powders all that much. So they’ve been sitting here for at least two years, and I finally decided I should either use them or throw them away. Not wanting to waste what is (probably) food, and feeling guilty about D’s generosity (heh-heh, thank goodness she’s one of my friends who hardly ever goes online), I took out my cast-iron pan (now made non-stick by constant use) and bought a can of condensed milk. Since I had two bags, one was for experimental purposes, and was cooked with soy milk — eh…. it wasn’t an utter failure but it didn’t work the way I was hoping it would:(…

To make the pastillas (you can see a description and carabao milk version here), you’ll need:

1 115-gm. bag “Ube Powder”
1 14-oz can condensed milk
1/2 cup whole milk
approx. 1/2 cup sugar for coating

The process is simple, but you will need to employ some elbow grease. Combine the powder and the condensed milk in a non-stick or seasoned cast iron pan. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over low heat, about 7-10 minutes or until smooth and homogeneous. A good sign of “done” is if you can lift the whole mass from the skillet using the spoon. At this point, transfer to a cutting board — knead with oiled hands if you like — and shape into little batons, about 1 1/2 inches long. You can either pat it into a rectangle and cut with a knife, or use your hands alone, or stuff into a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4 inch round tip and start piping, snipping with scissors when the desired length has been (it would help to grease the inside of the pastry bag). When the batons have been shaped, dip them in the sugar to coat. You can wrap them individually in paper strips as shown on the link above, or in cellophane squares (available at candymaking and cake-decorating shops), or simply pile them up with a bit more sugar — to keep them from sticking to each other — on a serving dish.

They turned out quite good, though I’m still a bit wary of the lovely purple — but the people I served them to had nary a complaint. Heh-heh…. sugar tends to do that to you.

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POSTED IN: Appetizers/Snacks/Nibbles, Desserts : Asian Cuisine, Filipino